Peters



UNITED ,STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JULIUS H. PRATT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

NEWS-DISTRIBUTEP..

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 37,590, dated February 3, 1863. v

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JULIUs H. PRATT, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Mode of Distributing News Automatically by Balloons; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, like letters in the several figures indicating the same parts, and in which drawings- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improvement, showing the clock-gearn g, by means of which movement isimparted to the delivering roller of the machine. Fig. 2 is partly a central section and partly a side view of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view, and Fig. 4 a view ofthe side of the machine opposite to that shown in Fig. 1, with the additional view of a balloon attached thereto.

My invention has for its object the distribution of news orintelligence of any nature, which for any cause it is impossible to communicate to the inhabitants of an enemy-s country by the ordinary means of conveyance.

As shown inthe drawings, A is a platform 0r foundation, of convenient dimensions, upon which a box-frame, B, is firmly secured, and to both of which the machinery figured in the drawings is attached.

As represented in Fig. 2, the rear of the box B is left open for the insertion of such printed or written matter on sheets of paper C as it is desirable to distribute, the printed or written sheets being laid upon the bottom d of said box, as indicated, and thereupon held by a presser-board, e. Posts ff are attached tothe forward portion of the platform A, as shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3, upon which horizontal arms g g are made to articulate, the latter being pivoted to the former, as at h. These arms are made to support the shafts i t" of the delivering-rolls J J and are held in proper relation to each other by a tie-rod, K, as indicated, and said arms with their rolls are caused to maintain a working position with reference to the delivery of the sheets C by means of a pressure-spring, l, one end of which is secured to the platorm, and the other made to exert an upward. pressure against the arm g, as represented. Over the delivery-roll J a driveroll, J2, is situated, having its bearings upon stationary arms m in, attached to the, sides of the box or frame B. To one end of the axis n of the drive-roll J2 a cog-wheel, p, is secured, and at its opposite end a pulley, r, connects with a pulley, rf, on the shaft of the deliveryroll J f, by means of the cross-band s, so that when the machine is in operation the rolls will rotate in the direction of the arrows, Fig. 3, and thus effect the delivery ofthe sheets C from the interior of the box B, as indicated.

As shown in Fig. 2, the bottom d of the box B is cut away, so as to permit the periphery of the roller J to rise therein and present its entire length in contact with the sheets. This roller J being composed of india-rubber, or its working-face of that material, when in operation, comes in contact with the bottom sheet of the mass of sheets G, and thus draws forward one of said sheets beneath the sta-r tionary guide T and through an opening, v, as seen in Fig.` 2, at which points the rolls J J2 take hold of the sheet and project it from the machine, as represented in Fig. 4. Thus, as one sheet is delivered, the presser e causes the succeeding sheet of the mass of sheets C to come in contact with the roll J until the whole are all thrown from the machine.

To effect the movement of the rolls, clockwork, supported in a frame, W, and composed of cog-wheels and pinions, as at l 2 3, and actuated by a coil-spring, X, upon a key-shaft, y, may be made to connect with the wheel p of the drive-roll J2, and so, when the same is wound up, impart the requisite motion. This frame, with the clock-work attached, may be supported upon a block, Z, secured to the foundation A, as indicated.

Having thus constructed my machinery for delivering the news-sheets, I then, to provide for their distribution, secure ropes a to the top of the box B in such manner as to keep the same in upright positions when raised in the air by a balloon, B2, said ropes connecting with the balloon, as indicated.

It is thus evident that the mechanism I have described, being set in motion just previous to the ascent of the balloon B2, will, with a favorable current of air, be carried over a region of countryl which in any other manner may be inaccessible for the purpose of distributing news to its inhabitants; and that as the balloon moves on the news-sheets will be delivered from time to time, in its course, and, descending to theA ground, thus fall into the hands of persons for whom they were inten ded.

My invention thus put in practice becomes an automatic distributer of intelligence, which in times of war may be made subservient to the interests of one or the other of the contendin g parties.

It is apparent that for effecting the delivery of news-sheets for the purpose specified other mechanism may be employed and diering in various particulars from that I have above described, I have described one mode of effecting the delivery of the news-sheets during the iight of the .balloon 5 but I do not wish to conire myself to the particular means I have described for throwing oli the sheets, as my JULIUS H. PRATT.

Witnesses:

EDWARD BissELL, FRANCls CARPENTER. 

